


It's Too Much

by admiralandrea



Series: Get Down Make Love [2]
Category: NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans
Genre: Community: trope_bingo, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 07:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16113269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/admiralandrea/pseuds/admiralandrea
Summary: Sam hunts down his wayward partner and they resolve their issues with the help of Michelle and Dr Cranston





	It's Too Much

**Author's Note:**

> Direct sequel to Come On So Heavy. Written for the crossover square of my Trope Bingo card.

Sam couldn’t believe his partner was gone. Sure, Callen was still a lone wolf at heart. But they’d been partners for over five years now, he’d thought they’d made good progress at curbing that tendency together, with all they’d been through. Sam was convinced he’d shown Callen what it meant to have family and be accepted for who he was. He was also sure that Callen knew how much the whole Hanna family loved him and so Sam struggled to believe Callen had just left in the night without a word to anyone, including Hetty.

“Nothing Hetty?” he asked again, as he walked into Ops.

She looked up from where she was studying Eric’s monitor over his shoulder. “I’m sorry Mr Hanna,” she told him with a head shake.

“We’ll keep looking Sam,” Eric promised, adjusting his glasses as he said it.

Nell nodded from her seat next to him. “We’re not giving up on Callen,” she added earnestly.

“I know guys,” Sam said. “But it’s been four days now.”

“Do not despair Mr Hanna,” Hetty said. “We will find him.”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t know Hetty,” he replied. “We all know how good Callen is at disappearing. This is his home, he knows where the cameras are and how to avoid them, he’s smart and careful. And he has the best training you can get on top of all that.”

She pursed her lips. “That is all true Sam,” she agreed, crossing to put a hand on his arm. “But we’re just as good at what we all do as well and we will find him.” She sounded absolutely certain of it and Sam wished he could share in that faith right now.

Kensi and Deeks came in just then, followed by Granger. “Anything new?” Granger asked.

They all shook their heads. “I went to his house,” Sam told them. “Nothing was missing.”

“He didn’t have much there to begin with, did he?” Kensi asked.

“No, but his laptop was still there and none of his personal weapons were missing either,” Sam told her. “I don’t think he’s been back since leaving the hospital.”

“Well he has hidden caches around the city hasn’t he?” Deeks asked. “Remember when we were looking for Mattias or that case with the senator’s daughter?”

“Yes, which makes it all the more likely he’ll be able to evade us and leave the country if he wants to,” Granger agreed. “I’m not sure how much longer we’re going to be able to keep looking for him, Henrietta.”

Sam turned to him with an angry look, he thought they’d moved beyond that with Granger. Granger held a hand up to stop Sam’s outburst before it got started. 

“Not my choice Sam, you should know me better than that by now. This is coming from higher up.”

“Then we’ll just have to remind them that Mr Callen is a priceless intelligence asset for this country and as such would be invaluable to our enemies if he were to be captured and compromised,” Hetty said, with a steely look in her eyes that promised trouble for anyone who got in their way.

Granger nodded thoughtfully. “That was how I was thinking we should phrase it to Sec Nav as well,” he agreed. “Who knows what could happen if Callen was found by the Russians or Chinese, for example. We still don’t know the full extent of the effects of this drug that he was inadvertently exposed to either. There could be long term repercussions we’re unaware of, because we can no longer monitor him.”

Sam frowned, not liking the way that Granger and Hetty were talking, but he recognized politics were in play here and if it helped them find and protect his partner, he would accept it.

*

With nothing else to work on for the moment, Hetty had sent them all home. Eric’s monitoring programs didn’t need him to watch over them, they’d all get an alert if there was a hit and they had no other clues to hunt down. 

Sam was tired as he got home, he’d been given the all clear himself from the effects of the drug, but the whole episode still weighed heavily on him. Not having the opportunity to discuss it with his partner was making it hard to move on.

Kamran was waiting as soon as he got inside the door. “Daddy!” she exclaimed, hugging him. “Where’s Uncle Callen?”

Sam winced, seeing Michelle appear behind his daughter. “Kam,” he said in a warning tone. 

“It’s Wednesday Daddy, he always comes to dinner on Wednesdays,” she told him with a pout.

“Kamran!” Michelle said sharply.

“It’s okay ‘Chelle,” Sam said, putting out a hand. “He’s working on a special project baby,” he told his daughter. “So I don’t know when we’ll see him again.”

“He had to go away?” Kam asked with a trembling lip.

Sam pulled her into a hug. “He’ll be fine sweetheart.” Sam just hoped he wasn’t going to be proven to be a liar. At least his daughter was used to both of them going away on “work projects”, even if she had no idea what they actually did.

“Go finish your homework Kam,” Michelle said when Kamran finally let him go. “Then you can set the table for dinner.”

“Yes mom,” she nodded and ran off back to the study.

Sam watched warily as Michelle came closer. He’d immediately told her everything that had happened, he couldn’t not. And while on the surface she had been accepting, Sam still felt that things were a little off between them. Callen’s absence didn’t help with that either. They both needed him there to allow them to clear the air and resolve what had gone on.

“Relax Sam, I’m not going to hurt you,” Michelle said, standing in front of him. “None of this is your fault.”

Sam snorted. “I don’t see how you can say that,” he argued. “I’m the one who betrayed our wedding vows.”

Michelle gave him a stern look. “We will discuss this later, when Kamran is in bed,” she said. “But I don’t want to hear you say anything like that again, understand?”

Sam gave a weary nod and Michelle nodded back. “I’m going to finish dinner,” she told him. “You go help Kam with her math.”

“Yes ma’am,” Sam agreed. He knew better than to argue with his wife. 

*

Dinner was as delicious as it usually was, unless it was Michelle’s Sunday night casserole, the one Callen really didn’t like. And Sam wished he hadn’t thought that. They were all missing his partner tonight. Although Kamran was chatting away like usual, she kept turning to where Callen usually sat, wanting to share something with him, only for her face to fall when she remembered he wasn’t there.

Michelle let her excuse herself as soon as she’d finished eating and they listened to her run upstairs to her room, not even telling her off like they normally would. Clearing up was done mostly in silence, with just the jazz Sam had playing on the sound system to punctuate the occasional comment.

*

They eventually settled in the lounge, Sam in his favorite chair and Michelle on the couch. 

“Talk to me Sam,” Michelle said, taking the initiative. “What is bothering you about this situation so much, apart from G going missing?”

Sam grimaced. His missing partner was at the heart of his problem and he said as much.

“Is it that he tricked you?” Michelle asked.

“No,” Sam shook his head. “He couldn’t help what he did. He was affected really badly by that drug. His blood work showed that. And I know that sort of information should be confidential, but they told me because it affects me as well.”

Michelle nodded her understanding. “So what?” she asked.

Sam took a deep breath. This wasn’t easy to talk about, but Michelle needed and deserved the truth, if they were to survive this as a couple and move forward.

“It was how I reacted,” he said. “Even before he kissed me and passed the infection on, I felt a physical response to him. Seeing him turned on, turned me on. And I’ve never felt like that for a man before, including G.”

“So what are you going to do about it?” Michelle asked.

Sam grimaced. “Hetty has already called Nate back from his most recent assignment,” he said. “In the meantime, we keep looking for G.”

“And when you find him?”

Sam was grateful she said ‘when’, not ‘if’. “We all need to sit down and have an honest conversation,” he said.

Michelle nodded and Sam felt a sense of relief that she was willing to do this for him.

“I still love you the same as I always have,” he told her, feeling the need to let her know that.

She moved off the couch and onto his lap. “I know Sam,” she said and bent her head to kiss him. As Sam’s arms came around his wife, that feeling of relief grew, as well as a fresh realization of just how lucky he was to have such an amazing woman in his life.

*

“We’ve got a hit,” Eric announced, walking into the bullpen, followed by Nell, both of them looking excited.

“What is it?” Sam asked, looking to the plasma, as Eric keyed his tablet to send the information to the screen. 

Kensi came from behind her desk to stand by Nell, while Eric explained his findings. 

“It’s a facial recognition hit from the docks at San Pedro,” Eric said.

The image was grainy, but as Eric continued to work his magic, it cleared to show it was definitely Callen. Sam felt several emotions at the sight of his partner, unshaven and with longer than usual hair. He had a look that Sam recognized all too well, set jaw and furtive expression. Callen was wearing what looked like cargo pants and a work jacket, with a checked shirt underneath.

“What more can you tell us Mr Beale?” Hetty asked from the edge of the bullpen.

He looked up at the Operations Manager. “It’s from 18 hours ago,” he explained. “An area where cargo ships operate from. This is near to slip 15, where a ship bound for Morocco was docked.”

“Was docked?” Sam asked sharply.

Eric winced, but Sam didn’t apologize. “It left 12 hours ago,” he said.

“Is it stopping anywhere else? Kensi asked.

Nell nodded and Eric put more information onto the screen. “Stops in Panama and New Orleans, then Brazil before it crosses to Morocco,” she explained.

“New Orleans?” Hetty asked, looking at Sam.

“In two days time,” Nell confirmed. 

“We can work with that,” Hetty said.

We can definitely work with that,” Sam agreed, getting to his feet.

“What, what is it?” Deeks questioned.

“Miss Jones, please arrange a flight to New Orleans for Mr Hanna, then request a conference call with the Director and Agent Pride in New Orleans, secure and encrypted link.”

“Of course,” Nell nodded and hurried off up the stairs back to Ops.

“Just Sam?” Kensi asked.

“Just me,” Sam agreed, watching Kensi’s face fall in disappointment. “It’s better this way,” he added.

“What’s the plan?” Deeks asked. 

Sam jerked his head towards Kensi and she nodded. Sam knew she would explain things to Deeks.

“Hetty, do you want me on the conference call?” Sam asked.

“Please Mr Hanna,” she said. “You should have time before you need to get your flight.”

“Alright, I’m going to ring Michelle first, let her know what’s happening,” Sam agreed.

“Very well,” Hetty agreed.

After the conference call with Vance and Pride, Sam grabbed his go bag and said goodbye to Kensi and Deeks.

“Bring him back,” Deeks said and Kensi nodded agreement. Sam knew she still wanted to go with him, even though she understood why he was going alone.

“I will,” Sam said lightly. He refused to contemplate the alternative.

*

Sam was met at Louis Armstrong Airport by Agents Pride and LaSalle. They exchanged first names and handshakes before heading to Pride’s truck.

“So what’s the plan?” Sam asked.

“We’ve got the Coastguard on board,” Pride explained. “Turns out that Gibbs knows Abigail Borin from CGIS, who is working down here on a joint task force. So he called her up and got her to agree to help us out.”

Sam nodded understanding. Callen and Gibbs were old friends and it made sense that he would want to help track down Callen. 

“The Coastguard will detain the ship when it arrives and speak to all the crew. If your man is amongst them, then they’ll find a way to arrest him and others on the crew and bring them ashore. That’ll give you the chance to confront Callen,” LaSalle explained.

Sam considered the plan for a minute. It seemed like the best opportunity they had to capture his partner, which was something he didn’t even like thinking, but he didn’t see any alternative. Callen had to be considered compromised until they had evidence to prove otherwise.

“Sounds good,” Sam said. “So Hetty tells me you have a bar, Pride?”

Pride nodded and started describing the bar and Sam allowed himself to relax. They had another day before the ship Callen was traveling on arrived, so he needed to think about other things until then. Worrying constantly would just tire him out.

*

The next morning, Sam was at the docks bright and early with Pride and LaSalle. He met Abigail Borin, a redhead who carried a large cup of coffee.

“So how are we going to do this?” Sam asked.

“You and I will wait here while my men go onboard,” Borin explained. “Callen hasn’t met me, but we can’t be sure Gibbs hasn’t told him about me. Once they locate Callen, they’ll bring him back here with some of the other crew for questioning. That will be your opportunity to speak to him.”

“Okay,” Sam agreed. He followed Borin into the offices they were using for the task force mission. 

“Coffee?” Borin asked as she refilled her own cup.

“Sure,” Sam agreed and accepted the mug. 

They sat at desks and settled in to wait. Borin had a radio tuned in so that they could hear what was happening and Sam listened to the Coastguard move through the ship, rounding up the crew and bringing them into the mess on board.

“What’s your name?” Sam heard over the radio, as the men checked each crew member.

And then he heard a familiar voice at last. “Cal Lewin,” a grumpy voice that Sam knew well replied and he felt relief wash through him.

He turned to Borin and nodded. “That’s him,” he told her.

She nodded back and picked up her radio. “Bring them in,” she ordered her team leader.

“Roger that,” came the reply.

Sam moved to wait out of sight. He didn’t plan to have his partner see him until he was sure he couldn’t run away. Borin joined him, just in case Callen did recognize her. 

They listened to the men being brought in and taken to separate rooms. Once they were all settled, Borin led Sam to where Callen was sequestered. 

She opened the door and the guard who had been in the room made way for her. Callen looked up at her and Sam was able to see from his position behind her that there was no recognition in his eyes.

“Mr Lewin, we just have a few questions for you,” she said.

He shrugged, sullen look in place and Sam was reminded of just how good his partner was at maintaining a cover.

“My first question is what the hell you’re playing at G?” Sam said, striding into the room to loom over his partner. 

Callen looked up at him in shock. “Sam?” He blurted out in surprise.

“Yeah G,” Sam said, pulling out the chair to sit opposite him.

Behind them, the door closed as Borin gave them some privacy.

“What’s going on?” Callen asked.

“What’s going on?” Sam repeated. “What do you think G? I came to find out why you decided to run away.”

Callen grimaced at that. “I wasn’t running away,” he denied.

Sam snorted. “Try that shit with someone who doesn’t know you G,” he said. “You were running away because you didn’t want to deal with what happened to us.”

Callen shook his head, a familiar stubborn look on his face. “I left because I was compromised and I destroyed our friendship. I didn’t want to wreck your marriage as well, so I thought it was better if I left. That way you wouldn’t have a constant reminder of what you’d done and maybe Michelle could forgive you for what had happened.”

Sam leaned back, watching his partner. His distress seemed genuine to Sam, who had learned to see beyond the front that Callen usually presented to the world. It was obvious to Sam he wasn’t playing a part now either. He really believed what he was saying.

Sam shook his head. “The only part of that explanation that *might* be true,” he said, “Is that you could perhaps have been compromised by that drug or whatever the hell it was you inhaled, but that’s what the hospital is for. As for the rest, the amount you don’t understand about friendship, partners and marriages is astounding even after over five years with me.”

Callen looked up at that, and Sam could see a glimmer of hope appear. “Really?” He asked.

“Really G,” Sam said. “Now will you come the hell back home to L.A. with me, so that we can sort this out?”

“And Michelle?” He asked tentatively.

“Is waiting to kick your ass for running away and to remind you that you’re still part of the Hanna family. Also she wants to tell you off for the fact Kam has been moping for the last week because you disappeared without warning.”

Callen looked relieved and wary in equal parts. “Okay,” he said.

“Okay?” Sam asked.

“I’ll come back with you,” Callen said. “For the sake of your family, I owe that to you.”

Sam reached out to rest one hand on his partner’s. “For your sake too G,” he said.

*

A few hours later they were back in L.A. Sam headed them towards his house in his Challenger. Callen had been pretty quiet most of the time, so Sam was giving him space. He felt awkward about the situation and was sure that his partner was as well. 

“This isn’t the way to work,” Callen finally broke the silence in the car.

“Good to know your observational skills are still top notch,” Sam told him with a smirk.

Callen gave him an eye roll. “I thought Hetty would want to take the first opportunity to tell me off.”

“She doesn’t want to do that G,” Sam denied.

Callen snorted this time, but didn’t argue. “So instead I get to face Michelle?” He asked.

“My wife isn’t going to give you a hard time either.”

This time all he got was silence. 

“It’s Wednesday G, Kamran really wants to see you,” Sam said, when it was clear his partner had nothing more to say.

“Yeah, okay,” Callen agreed. 

“Good, I can’t cope with much more of her asking when you’re coming back and telling me how much she misses you,” Sam told him.

“Man up partner,” Callen said. “You’re a SEAL, surely you can cope with one little girl.”

“I’ll remind you of that the next time she persuades you to play Just Dance,” Sam smirked.

“So when will I have to face Hetty?” Callen asked. 

“I don’t know G,” Sam told him. “She’s arranged for us to see Nate tomorrow.”

“Oh no, no, no way,” Callen said immediately. “No way in hell am I discussing this with Nate.”

“G?” Sam asked. He spotted an empty parking lot next to an abandoned store up ahead and quickly pulled in. 

Callen got out of the car and stormed away. Sam gave a heavy sigh. He should have anticipated this reaction. He leaned against the hood of the car and waited for his partner to calm down. 

After pacing around for a while, Callen eventually walked back over to Sam. “Look, I get we need to talk about this shit Sam, but there is no way I can discuss it with Nate.”

“Alright,” Sam said. “But how do we find someone else?”

“Gibbs,” Callen said. “He had to deal with someone that Vance called in for their psych evals. She was Kate Todd’s sister.”

“Who?” Sam asked. 

Callen shook his head. “Not relevant,” he said. “But I know that Gibbs trusts this Dr Cranston.”

“Alright, I’ll let Hetty know, I’m sure she can make it happen with Vance,” Sam said. “Now can we go home?”

Callen gave a weary sigh, but nodded, heading to the passenger side of the car. Sam decided he’d call Hetty once they got home and headed for the driver’s side.

*

Hetty had worked her magic with Vance and Dr Cranston arrived within a day. She’d also spoken to Nate, who had apparently been graceful in his acceptance of Callen’s refusal to see him.

Nell had rented office space for them to use for the appointments. Neither the boat shed or a safe house were appropriate, so instead, they headed downtown to the financial district, where an anonymous suite had been arranged under a shell corporation.

“Let’s start with coffee,” Dr Cranston said when they had introduced themselves to her.

“I prefer tea,” Callen said, a look in his eyes that Sam knew meant he was testing her.

“Tea is fine,” Dr Cranston replied, indicating the tray of supplies set up at one side of the room.

Callen gave a grudging nod and couldn’t even make Hetty’s complaint about tasting paper, because there were mugs on the tray.

Once they were all settled with their beverage of choice, Dr Cranston started. “I’m happy with you to call me either Rachel or Dr Cranston, whichever you prefer. What are your preferences.”

“Call me Sam, Rachel,” he said when she looked to him first.

She nodded. “Thank you Sam,” she said and looked to Michelle.

“Michelle is fine with me, Rachel,” she agreed.

“Thank you Michelle,” Rachel said again, then looked at his partner.

Callen shrugged. “Callen,” he said.

Rachel nodded, taking it in stride. Someone had probably briefed her before their arrival, so she was likely aware of his partner’s lack of first name.

*

Their two weeks of intensive counseling with Dr Cranston were finished and they had come to an arrangement they all agreed with. Sam knew Callen was still struggling to believe that Michelle had agreed to Sam pursuing an intimate relationship with him, while still staying married to her. A lot of their sessions had been devoted to convincing him that they were all adults and that it was possible for someone to have a relationship with more than one person at the same time. 

Finally, Sam and Michelle had agreed with Rachel in one of their joint sessions that the only way to really convince Callen, was if Sam took him away for a weekend. The two of them went to Vegas on a semi-regular basis, always staying somewhere different and using aliases. This time, Sam had booked them into a suite at a luxury hotel, because they were there for something other than gambling or entertainment.

They arrived on Friday afternoon and were checked in quickly and efficiently. Sam had chosen this place because of the privacy rating as well as it’s gay friendly nature. The bellhop was polite, showing them around the suite and pointing out the amenities, before leaving them with a friendly smile, as he pocketed Sam’s tip. Sam locked the door behind him, then turned back to see his partner standing by the window, looking down on the Strip.

“Hey,” Sam said, crossing over to where he stood.

Callen looked round and gave a small smile. Sam could see how tense he looked, from the set of his shoulders.

“How about we relax with a beer?” Sam suggested, stopping just next to his partner.

“Yeah, okay,” Callen said, sighing a little as he did so.

“Come on G, lighten up, this isn’t a mission, we’re supposed to be relaxing and having fun.”

Callen gave him a glare at that. “I might just go for a walk,” he said, turning around and starting across the room.

“G!” Sam exclaimed.

His partner stopped, but didn’t turn round, shoulders hunched again. “I don’t know how to do this Sam,” he said, sounding dejected. “This is a bad idea.”

He looked so vulnerable, Sam couldn’t resist, crossing to draw him into a hug. “Hey, nothing has to happen unless we both want it to,” he murmured.

Callen resisted the hug at first, then slowly relaxed into Sam’s arms around him, as Sam just stood there, holding him. Sam didn’t say anything, just kept holding on. 

Eventually, Callen sighed again and moved, so Sam released him and stepped back slightly. “Okay?” he asked.

Callen gave a shrug. “This still feels weird as hell,” he admitted.

“Do I need to get Michelle on the phone to remind you we all agreed to this and that she doesn’t have a problem?” Sam asked seriously.

Callen shook his head. “No, I get that, I do,” he replied. “But I’m not used to any of this, especially not as me.”

Sam nodded. That was one thing that had come out during their sessions with Rachel; just how little experience his partner had with relationships that weren’t for a case or mission, including that ridiculous “marriage” with Tracey Keller when he’d been with the C.I.A. or when he’d been with Kristin Donnelly as Jason Tedrow. 

“You’ve been with men before, though,” Sam pointed out.

“One night stands,” Callen countered. “Not relationships.”

“Why don’t we sit down and have a beer?” Sam suggested. 

He didn’t really want to rehash his partner’s previous sexual history again. It didn’t make for easy listening the first time around and he didn’t think hearing it a second time would make him feel any better.

Callen nodded agreement and crossed to the huge sofa that was in a corner of the room facing an equally large flat screen T.V. Sam went to the fridge and took out two beers from a micro brewery that he had heard his partner mention before. Getting some stocked in the fridge had been one of the extras the hotel had been happy to offer, when Sam had enquired. They had champagne as well, but Sam didn’t think now was the time for them to be drinking that. This was about getting his partner to relax after all.

When Sam passed his partner a beer and sat down, Callen had started flicking through T.V. channels in search of something to watch. He eventually set it on a basketball game and for a few minutes, the only noise was the commentary as they drank their beers.

Sam gave Callen a sideways glance, concerned at the lack of comments from him. Normally he’d be making remarks about the players and the game, whether they were the Clippers or some other game, even college ball. Sam could see he still looked tense as well.

Giving an internal sigh, Sam decided to offer another option for his partner to relax.

“You want to go downstairs G?” he asked.

Callen looked over, clearly surprised. “You don’t mind?” he asked in return.

Sam shook his head. “I can see you’re not really into this,” he said. “Maybe playing some dice will make you feel better.”

Callen thought about it for a minute, before agreeing. “What about you?” he asked.

“I can play some blackjack,” Sam said. 

“Alright then,” Callen said, putting aside his beer bottle and reaching for the shoes he’d abandoned earlier. “Let’s have dinner in the restaurant as well,” he suggested, giving Sam a tentative look.

Sam smiled back. “Sounds good,” he agreed easily. If it helped Callen relax, Sam was all for it.

*

Once down in the casino, they went their separate ways. Sam had seen his partner gradually slip into character and hadn’t called him on it. He knew how difficult this was for Callen and if becoming someone else for a couple of hours relaxed him, Sam was in favor of it. He would just make sure that he only got G Callen for dinner, though. This weekend was about them, not any of their aliases and if a relationship was going to work, Callen needed to learn how to be himself around Sam in an intimate setting.

Sam settled at a blackjack table. He always played it when they came away to Vegas, but was careful to suppress his natural math skills and lose as well as win. Drawing attention as a possible card counter wasn’t what he wanted on a weekend away. He was careful to not drink even any of the watered down drinks they served either, because he definitely would need a clear head for later.

After a couple of hours, Sam checked his watch and exclaimed at the time, pretending not to realize how late it was.

“I have to go meet my partner,” he said regretfully, scooping up his pile of winnings.

The hostess smiled at him and Sam gave her a tip with a friendly smile of his own, nodding to the others gathered at the table before stepping away. Someone else quickly took his seat and the game continued.

Sam scanned the area quickly, before spotting the craps tables further into the room and heading that way. One of them had a bigger crowd than the others and that was the one Sam made a beeline for. His instincts told him that was where he would find his partner.

Sure enough, once he was closer, Sam could see that Callen was the center of a group of beautiful women and several less than happy men. Callen himself looked relaxed, smiling and laughing at something someone was saying to him, but Sam could see tension in his shoulders. He frowned, drawing this sort of attention wasn’t Callen’s style and it certainly wasn’t working to relax him in the way that Sam wanted.

Making a quick decision and praying his partner would go along with it, Sam strode to his side, the crowd instinctively giving way to him.

“Hey babe, I see you haven’t missed me,” Sam said, as he slid alongside Callen. Without giving him a chance to respond, Sam took hold of his face and turned it, so he could give Callen a slow, thorough kiss.

For a beat, Sam thought he’d miscalculated, but it didn’t take long for his partner to catch on and relax into him, opening his mouth to allow the kiss. Sam hummed in approval as he tasted his mouth, tongue sweeping out to map his teeth.

One of Callen’s hands landed on Sam’s shoulder, gripping tightly and he made a noise like nothing Sam had ever heard before. Sam felt his whole body relax at the same time and slid an arm around his waist to support him.

Finally, Sam drew back, keeping a close eye on his partner’s expression. It took a few seconds for Callen’s eyes to clear, he blinked at Sam before giving a slow smile.

“Hey,” he said, keeping his gaze locked on Sam.

Sam smiled back. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, more order than suggestion.

Callen blinked again and nodded. “Sounds good,” he agreed, breathless and still holding on tightly to Sam.

Sam gently pulled back enough that Callen could move. “Do you need to pick up your winnings?” he asked, looking back at the table.

Everyone was gazing at them, disgruntled expressions on female faces now, though the men seemed a lot happier.

“Uh yeah,” Callen said, sounding a bit dazed still.

Sam saw a sizable pile of chips on the table in front of them and reached out to scoop them up.

“Room service sounds good,” he announced brightly, ignoring everyone else in favor of getting Callen somewhere private.

“Sure,” Callen murmured, sliding one hand into Sam’s and heading for the cashier station, which was by the exit.

*

It didn’t take long to get back to their room. Once inside, Sam went to pick up the room service menu, but Callen stopped him.

“What is it G?” Sam asked.

“Do we have to eat now?” he asked. “Or can you wait?”

“Did you have something else in mind?” Sam swept his eyes the length of his partner’s body as he asked the question, licking his lips.

When he looked back up into Callen’s face, he could see how dark his blue eyes were and a needy expression on his face.

“Please,” Callen said, reaching for Sam.

Sam didn’t hesitate, taking the hand his partner offered and pulling him close. He tilted Callen’s face towards him and pressed their mouths together in the same way he had downstairs. Callen made a noise and once more melted against Sam’s body. 

Sam kept up the kiss, holding his partner close, until he had to stop to breathe, and then only pulled back enough to allow them both to get air. Callen’s eyes were closed as he stayed pressed against Sam, who could feel how hard he was through their clothes.

“What do you want G?” Sam asked gently, needing to hear from his partner.

Callen slowly opened his eyes, blinking at Sam, who could see his mind slowly clearing as he came back from the effects of Sam’s kiss.

“I want you to take charge Sam,” he admitted hesitantly, looking shy in a way Sam had never seen before.

“G?” Sam touched his cheek gently, making his partner look him in the eyes.

“What happened before,” Callen said hesitantly and Sam nodded encouragement and understanding. “You had no say in that, in what happened. It was the chemicals and me.”

Sam started to say something, but Callen put his hand up. “Please Big Guy,” he asked, so Sam nodded for him to carry on.

“I know you don’t blame me, but I can’t help how I feel still. So for this to work, I need to know it’s what you want, that you’re doing this because it’s your choice, not the influence of drugs or my desires.”

Sam waited to make sure his partner had finished before he spoke. “G, I love you,” he said. “That love is a bit different now and not what either of us were expecting. But you have always been important to me. And I promise you that this is what I want, otherwise we wouldn’t be here like this. But if you need me to take the lead, then I am happy to do that, with one proviso.”

Callen had blushed and dropped his head at hearing Sam say so openly that he loved him, but he looked up now, an intent look on his face. “Name it,” he said.

“If anything I do is something you don’t like, you have to tell me,” Sam told him firmly. “I will not carry on if I think you’re unhappy in any way. This is an equal partnership and it isn’t about me punishing you for whatever perceived wrong there is bouncing around in that brain of yours. So you tell me if you have any issue or we don’t go on.”

Callen looked relieved and nodded in agreement. “I can do that,” he said.

“Good,” Sam smiled. “Now how about we go in the bedroom and lose some of these clothes?”

Callen smirked. “I can do that,” he agreed.

Sam grinned, pleased to see that his partner was finally acting more like himself. He had a feeling this was going to be a hell of a ride.


End file.
